This application requests renewal of a Core Grant to support 21 vision research investigators with 18 qualifying NEI grants at Baylor College of Medicine. In this revised application, we re-organized the Core into three modules based on the current needs of the vision research community at Baylor College of Medicine: the Electron Microscopy and Histology Module, the Machine Shop Module and the Confocal Microscopy and Digital Imaging Module. The overall aim of this proposal is to provide support and facilities which are essential for progress on NEI-funded projects, yet are not available among other departments and cannot be obtained through individual research grants. The specific aims of this application are: (1) to provide access to an advanced transmission electron microscope for ultrastructural analysis of ocular and neural tissues and for imaging two dimensional crystals and molecular structures of ocular proteins and nucleic acids; (2) to provide histological facilities and services for both light and electron microscopy; (3) to provide machine shop services to vision Research investigators for construction of special apparatus not commercially available; (4) to provide a state-of-the-art scanning confocal microscope, dedicated to vision researchers, for high resolution three-dimensional imaging of tissues and cells labeled with fluorescent dyes, immunofluorescence reagents, or fluorescent fusion proteins; (5) to provide facilities and services to process digital images obtained from confocal and conventional microscopes for publications and presentations; (6) to foster interactions and collaborations among diverse vision research groups at Baylor through the sharing of these common facilities; (7) to provide a supportive research environment to attract and retain outstanding new vision research faculty, students and postdoctoral fellows; and to facilitate initiation of new vision research projects and programs.